In exploring influential women in aviation, we would be remiss in not introducing the woman often considered the First Lady of Aviation, Olive Ann Beech, best known for co-founding and leading Beechcraft.
Born in Kansas in 1903, Olive Ann Mellor’s business education started young. She was given her own bank account at age seven, and took over the responsibility of writing checks to pay the family bills at age 11. She skipped high school completely, and went to straight to the American Secretarial and Business College in Wichita, Kansas, where she studied bookkeeping and stenography.
At age 21, Olive took a job as an office secretary and bookkeeper for Travel Air Manufacturing Company, which was being run by what would later become some legendary names in aircraft engineering: Lloyd Stearman, Clyde Cessna and, you guessed it, Walter Beech.
Olive’s career quickly skyrocketed, as she was soon taking care of financial duties and office management for the rapidly growing company. Olive and Walter married in 1930, founding not only a family, but an incredibly successful business partnership, as well.
After taking the role of President at Travel Air, Walter Beech sold the company to Curtiss-Wright in 1929, staying on with the new company as an officer and moving back and forth between St. Louis and New York City. In 1932, Walter and Olive Ann Beech moved back to Wichita and founded the Beech Aircraft Company.
Olive began working for Beech Aircraft as the secretary treasurer while her husband designed and sold aircraft. However, as soon as the company issued common stock in 1936, she became a member of the board of directors. In the same year, Olive Ann suggested that female pilot Louise Thaden compete in the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race in a Beechcraft Staggerwing. Thaden won the race, becoming the first woman to win the Bendix trophy, which brought major publicity to Beech Aircraft.
WWII served as a turning point for Beech Aircraft and Olive Ann, specifically. In 1940, her husband was diagnosed with encephalitis. Olive Ann took a leadership role, spearheading the conversion of the Staggerwing and Twin Beech business aircraft for military use. She arranged for $83 million in loans for the expansion of the Staggerwing and Twin Beech. Olive Ann and Beech Aircraft produced more than 7,400 aircraft during the war, winning five Army-Navy “E” Awards along the way.
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After the war, Beech Aircraft resumed production on non-military aircraft while continuing to produce aircraft for the United States military. Walter Beech died in 1950, after which the board of directors elected Olive Ann as the new President and Chairman of the Board, making her the first woman to head a major aircraft company. She held those titles for the next 18 years, continuing to expand Beech Aircraft’s line of general aviation planes, experimenting with space exploration and continuing their work with military aircraft along the way.
After Bill Lear successfully launched the first Learjet in 1964, Olive Ann made the controversial decision to stick with turbo props instead of moving toward new jet engine technology, which explains why Beechcraft entered the jet market so late.
Olive Ann named her nephew, Frank Hedrick, as President of the company in 1968, though she remained Chair of the Board and CEO of the company. Raytheon purchased the company in 1980, and requested that Olive Ann step down from the board just two years later, due to lackluster sales.
Olive Ann Beech died in 1993 with a number of awards and honors to her name. She was awarded the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, the highest honor that the U.S. National Aeronautic Association can give. She was inducted into the American National Business Hall of Fame and the Kansas Business Hall of Fame, as well. In 2013, she and her husband were included in Flying Magazine’s 51 Heroes of Aviation.